Good - Better - Best

Mother of Food and I were out playing video poker the other night at the Tuscany Suites & Casino when we decided to take a dinner break. Our choice for the evening was the Cantina Mexican Restaurant. We eat there frequently and find the food consistently tasty. As soon as your seated one of the friendly staff brings you a warm bowl of chips and three different dips - salsa, Pico de Gallo and an addictive warm bean dip. All dinners are served with Mexican rice and refried beans. Our entrees that evening were Pollo Boracho, a grilled chicken breast, sautéed with rosemary garlic sauce and topped with cactus and cheese and Camarones Ranchero, shrimp sautéed with bell peppers, onions and ranchero sauce.

If your in the mood for good Mexican food at reasonable prices the Cantina would be a good value, and if you have a 2 for 1 coupon an even better value, and if you can pay the rest with comps, that is the best deal of all.

Location - 5 minutes east of strip on Flamingo Blvd.

size matters

Recently I was dining in a seafood restaurant and was ordering some shrimp dishes. I asked the waitress the size of the shrimp. She replied nice size (a non answer). One of the people at the table commented that size shouldn't matter as it was all you can eat. I pointed out that since some of the shrimp dishes were breaded, it could make a big difference. I didn't want to bite into mostly breading and not experience the taste and texture of the shrimp. Depending on how you are preparing certain recipes size definitely matters.

basil - pesto

Yesterday I noticed we hadn't picked any basil for a long time and we had an abundance. So I decided to make some pesto. This is a simple recipe I picked up years ago.

Pesto:

2 cups fresh basil leaves packed

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons of slightly roasted pine nuts

3 cloves of minced garlic

In a food processor with with motor running i put in the garlic, then the pine nuts.

I then add about half the basil and some of the cheese and give it a few pulses.

Then I add the rest of the cheese and basil and a few more pulses.

Now with motor running slowly add the olive oil until the mixture forms a consistency you prefer.

Now you should taste. I felt mine was too garlicky so I added a couple of squeezes of lemon, a slight pinch of sugar and some ( about 8 ) grape tomatoes. Tasted perfecto!

Remember a recipe is a guide. Don't be afraid to make changes or adjust seasonings and or ingredients to meet your own tastes.

Now what to serve the pesto with: While some Barilla cheese tortellini boiled, I put a little olive oil in a pan, added some sliced yellow peppers, a few sliced mushrooms and about 10 of those grape tomatoes and a few grinds of black pepper. As the veggies sauteed I added a little more olive oil (remember mushrooms are like a sponge). Now because I was cooking and eating at home I decided to splurge a little. So I threw in about eight large shrimp to the pan and a little butter to smooth out the sauce. By this time the pasta was ready and I added it to the shrimp and vegetables and then some of the pesto.

The dish was superb. Again remember you could use whatever vegetables you might have on hand. This entire meal could be made in less than twenty minutes.